STEP 1: DIMENSIONSIts important you first know the established dimensions for cornhole. Here¶s a diagram with the basic measurements for the boards. The American Cornhole Organization is who we referred to for these measurements. (They get a tad bit more specific with their dimensions so if you¶re building a tournament set you can visit their site.) There is only one measurement that we will not duplicate perfectly and that is the 3´ front end of the boards. As much as we¶d like our boards to match that measurement, our primary goal is to provide you with an excellent cornhole set that is EASY to build. Most do-it-yourself boards (as well as many boards purchased from manufacturers) do not meet the 3´ requirement. Rather, our boards measure around 3 to 4 inches at the front edge which is more than adequate for a good ol¶ game of cornhole and certainly makes the building process a whole lot easier. (We have instructions for a more sophisticated cornhole set coming to our e-books section soon.) STEP 2: ROUND UP YOUR SUPPLIES Here is a complete list of all the supplies you should need for a basic cornhole set. Go to the store and buy it all in one clean shot. However, we recommend you read through all the instructions first so it¶s clear why you need each item. You¶ll find pictures of each item later. y y y y y y 1/2 thick sheet of plywood ± one 4¶x4 or two 2¶x4¶s 8 long 2×4¶s (4) 4 1/2 long 3/8 diameter carriage bolts (4) 3/8 flat washers (4) 3/8 wing nuts (4) 2 1/2 wood screws (1 box) Here¶s a list of all the tools I used as well. They¶re not all necessary but certainly the more power tools you can round up the easier it will all be. y y y y y y y y y circular saw (alternative: table saw or hand saw mitre saw (alternative: hand saw with a mitre box) measuring tape clamps (optional but very handy) power drill and assorted bits (up to a 3/8´ bit in size) sandpaper (course, medium, and fine grit or at least medium) hammer compass (optional) jigsaw You¶ll find that the dimensions for a cornhole table conveniently coincide with the standard dimensions of lumber. Because of this, we find it¶s most efficient and cost effective to build two sets at once. It¶s like buying in bulk ± the larger the pieces of wood, the cheaper it is per inch. Just double each of the items listed above and buy a 4¶x8¶ piece of plywood instead. Recruit a partner for that extra set and you¶ll appreciate having a buddy to help with the process. (Just make sure you build the other person¶s set first so you can learn from your mistakes before you make your own!) Take an extra 5 minutes to select some excellent lumber. Make sure your 2×4s aren¶t warped, split, or chewed up. Also, try to get a piece of plywood that has as few defects as possible. You¶re gonna want your platform surface to be as smooth as a baby¶s butt so save yourself the extra work of filling in gaps. We asked Home Depot to cut our plywood in half for easier transport home. If you do the same, make sure they know this is for a precision Cornhole set! Hover over their shoulder when they make that measurement because you don¶t want to be violating the American Cornhole Association established dimensions! STEP 3: MAKE THE BOARDS you should be able to get all these pieces with just the 4 2×4¶s we mentioned. this would be a good place for a reminder about safety. cut. Safety glasses should be worn any time you¶re working with a power tool. cut. You might as well leave them on when you¶re working with ANY tool. and so on rather than make all your measurements at once. measure. For one set (2 cornhole tables) you¶ll need boards with the following lengths: y y y 4 feet (4) 21 inches (4) 16 inches (4) Cut the 2×4s with a mitre saw if available or a hand saw (use a mitre box to make sure your cut is nice and straight). We¶re not going to discuss much on the proper use of tools so if you¶re unsure. If you plan it right. find somebody that knows how things work. Because of this we suggest you measure. Make sure you know how to use any tool you pick up. Don¶t forget to factor in the saw blade¶s width. The first step to building your cornhole table is to cut your wood. find a good pair of gloves.We¶re gonna jump into the fun stuff at this point! Before we do anything. The 2×4s will be cut for our frames and legs. Also. (For more advice on cutting your boards check out our e-book!) . Tip: Drill your hole first with a drill bit slightly smaller in diameter than your screws. Don¶t worry. you¶ll want all of your corners and edges to be flush with the other board. However you do it. but this could also be done very carefully with a regular old hand saw. Your newly resized pieces of wood should look like this. I wanted a nice straight edge so I fastened the other piece of plywood down next to my line so I could run my saw along it as a guide. We also used a couple of clamps to hold the frame together nice and flush. We recommend 2 ½ inch wood screws.If you purchased a larger piece of plywood. If available. One side should already be 4 feet long so now just cut it to be 2 feet wide. Countersink your screws if you don¶t want them to show after you pain (more on this in our e-book). We used some smaller clamps and a little ingenuity to save on cash. use a circular saw. Construct your cornhole table¶s wood frame with the 2×4¶s and screws. a little distortion will work itself out. measure and cut your plywood down to size. You may need to torque your boards just a bit to get the last corner together properly. This makes it a little easier putting the screws in and ensures your wood doesn¶t split as the screw goes in . Keep in mind that even an apparently straight 2×4 can have a slight bend to it. Your plywood should be a perfectly squared 2¶ x 4¶ piece of wood. You can use your clamps again to make this part easier.place. your frame will have the wrong dimensions! This is what you should end up with when its all put together: Now put your plywood surface on the frame and screw it down (predrill the holes again). Make sure you counter-sink the screws just enough that you can cover over them with some putty later on. We used ten or twelve long screws. but your frame might have a little distortion to it. . If you don¶t. You might need to tweak your frame just a little bit to fit the plywood¶s shape. Also make sure to put the correct ends together. It may not be perfect. You can also cut a hole in your board with a hole saw or a router.What kind of cornhole table doesn¶t have a hole?! Mark the center of the hole ± 9 from the top end of the board and 12 from either side. If you really take your time you can get a pretty decent looking hole. Click here! . Now insert the blade of your jig saw into the pilot hole you just made.) Use the largest drill bit you have to make a good pilot hole for the starting point of your saw just inside the circle. Cut out the hole as carefully as you can. but this is a straight-forward way of doing things. Use a compass or something of the sort to draw a circle six inches in diameter. (You can use a pencil tied to a piece of string if you need to. Our e-book has more information and a thorough explanation on how to use these methods. To make the legs incredibly stable. this midpoint will not be at the 2 inch mark since a 2×4 is not actually 2 inches by 4 inches ± it will be more like 1 ¾´. Use a compass to draw a half circle extending out to the edges of the board like shown. Next come the legs of your cornhole board. The leg has several requirements. These two lines intersect at the point where you will want to pivot your compass. (Remember.Any minor discrepancies can be cleaned up with sand paper. It must also be sturdy enough to withstand an onslaught of cornhole bags. . The picture to your left illustrates what we¶re shooting for in the end.) Make another line the same distance from the end of the leg and perpendicular to the first line. It must raise the end of the cornhole table 12 inches off the ground. Estimate where our bolt will pass through the leg by drawing a line halfway from the side of your leg. First we¶re going to make a few markings on our legs. we¶re going to make sure they extend past the frame a proper amount and make full contact with the ground. Your cornhole party will be a big flop if the legs break or fold in every time a bag hits it. Most people who have gone on before you would probably agree this can be the trickiest part. Wrapping it around a cylindrical object you can grip will help here. Measure the midpoint of the frame¶s 2×4 (line C) which again should be around 1 ¾´. we¶ll mark the hole for your bolt. turn your cornhole table over so that the plywood surface is face down. We¶ll start with a small bit for our pilot hole and gradually work our way up to 3/8´. Do it this way if you¶ve still got those clamps handy. just the 2×4 of the frame! Where these two lines intersect is where we want the bolt to go.Next. We typically go through a broad range of drill bits. You¶ll notice I used clamps to hold things in place and I¶ve got an extra board clamped in behind my leg. right through the center of the frame and leg. Take one of your leg pieces and set it in place next to the scrap wood as shown with our markings facing out. This extra board will give me a nice clean hole all the way through each piece of wood and reduces splintering. Make a little divot with an extra screw or nail at our mark to help guide the tip of the drill bit for this important step. . Put a piece of scrap wood in the corner as in the picture to the left (we used the end of a leftover 2×4). Do not include the plywood in this measurement. Now. Drill a 3/8´ hole through the side of your table and leg. Transfer your leg¶s midpoint line (line B) onto the frame. . You can make this as perfect as you¶d like. Clean up your cuts with sandpaper.) Now that your legs are properly trimmed. but nobody will see this part unless they¶ve collapsed from exhaustion and fallen under your board. washers. assemble your bolts. Using your mitre or hand saw.You¶ll notice your leg isn¶t going to do any folding away in the shape it is now. make several cuts to rough out that rounded end you sketched. (This actually happens quite regularly to the serious player. and wing nuts. Take a hammer and gently tap the carriage bolt into the wood frame until it and the washer are flush with the wood surface. washer. and nut in place but don¶t tighten things down quite yet. The bolt can now sit flush with the board and this also keeps your carriage bolt from turning when you tighten the nut. You can see I¶ve created a square hole that the bolt¶s shoulder will now fit. Put the bolt.Sliding the carriage bolt through the hole in the frame (you might need to twist it through the hole) you¶ll find the square shoulder of the bolt keeps things from becoming nice and flush. . we need to get the end of your board 12 inches off the ground. Finally. . it just happened to be a spare piece of wood and a handy box of baby wipes. Put your cornhole board up on a table. In this picture.Make sure your leg is freely moveable from the playing position« «to the folded position. The leg should move without difficulty. pieces of wood. Stack these items under your board until you find the perfect combination that places your board 12 inches off the table¶s surface. Now go in search of any extra boxes. determine what is obstructing the leg and trim some more. or whatever else you can get your hands on. books. If not. Now position your board so that the leg is fully extended into playing position and dangling off the table. you should end up with a cut that is close to 45 degrees.) Take a pencil and make a line that runs flush with the table. Remove the leg and take it back to the mitre saw for trimming. Another option for making the legs would be to become an engineer. (It should be longer than necessary since we haven¶t precisely cut it to length yet. Then surely you could use your superior brain to calculate the exact measurements and laugh at us all when your cornhole table stays standing for eons and eons. we¶re just trying to keep this a little more simple and this technique works great! . If you follow these directions just as they are. For the rest of us. After one quick cut you should be holding the perfect leg! Now do the same for the other leg. Now angle your mitre saw until it is perfectly in line with the line on your board. Put your newly cut legs in place and confirm the height of your boards with a measuring tape. but that requires extra machinery or a more complicated design. Our goal is a quality set of boards that are cheap and easy. . Remember you¶ll want the raised end of your cornhole board to measure 12 off the ground at every point along the back edge. If you need a 3´ front there are obviously ways to do it. So don¶t get too upset if your boards are a half inch taller than ideal. Don¶t laugh. surely you¶ll be able to afford a luxurious cornhole set. you¶ll find that it measures around 3 to 4 inches rather than 3 inches exactly as the ACO dictates.You should probably double check that you¶ve cut your legs to the correct length at this point. If you get serious enough into cornhole that you need this to be exact. You finally have your own set that is guaranteed to withstand hours and hours of flying sacks of corn! Next we¶ll talk about painting the cornhole tables and then making the bags. we¶ll happily refer you to some manufacturers that can help you out. As we mentioned earlier. if you measure the front end of your board. take a step back and admire your handiwork. there really are some big-time players out there! Tada! You¶ve done it! Now set up your tables. With all the millions you¶ll be winning as a professional cornhole player. one of the hidden joys in life is a well-painted cornhole set. rollers. You can even fill in the gap between the plywood surface and 2×4 frame.STEP 1: GATHER YOUR PAINTING SUPPLIES These are the painting products we used to paint our cornhole boards: y y y y y wood filler primer (for wood) ± 1 quart semi-gloss latex paint ± 1 quart of each color (some people use high-gloss) painter¶s tape contact paper Here¶s a list of painting tools we needed. on your board. all these tools aren¶t necessary but can be very helpful. If that turns you off. The first step is to fill all the holes and defects you created while building your cornhole boards (screw holes. cracks. etc. This is how we painted the basic design on our cornhole tables. When it comes to paint brushes. etc. but be leary of the ultra-cheap stuff.). y y y y y y y putty knife (optional ± use your finger if you have to) sandpaper (medium grit should be enough) electric sander (optional) paint brush (1. painting can be a real pain if you¶re pretty new at it. Just don¶t take any shortcuts unless you¶re certain of the results. Don¶t worry about over filling it because the wood filler sands down very easily after it has set up. knot holes. However. . Again. don¶t worry. The key is to be meticulous and patient. etc. it¶s not that bad once you get the hang of it. but hopefully you can use some of the same techniques to get there. medium to large size) paint roller and covers (smooth finish)(optional if you just want to use your paint brush for the whole job) compass utility knife (exacto knife) STEP 2: PAINTING THE BOARDS Without a doubt. Your design might be quite different. Use a putty knife or something of the sort to push wood filler into any holes. There¶s no need to buy the most expensive products. don¶t be too cheap either. . Try not to alter the plywood surface too much. Be sure to allow the filler to set up according to the instructions that came with your product.As you can see we had multiple spots on our boards that needed filling. An electric sander will save you a lot of time here. If you¶ve got the time sand it with varying grits of sandpaper (coarse -> medium -> fine). Sand down any small discrepancies you have on the sides of your table where all the different pieces of wood come together. Medium-grit sandpaper should do the trick. Next sand your cornhole tables smooth. and detach your legs if you haven¶t already. Dust off your boards. When you try to retrieve a bag through the hole. We like to gently sand the edges of the hole as well.Once all your surfaces are smooth you can lightly sand down any sharp edges and corners. Apply a thin layer of primer on all visible surfaces of the board and legs with a brush or roller and let dry. set them up off the ground. your valuable bag-tossing hands will thank you. This is what it should look like when you¶re all done priming. If you bought a router to cut your hole (details on cutting a hole with a router are in our e-book) you can use it to round the edges. . We used our compass to draw a circle of the appropriate size (1. the second color (scarlet in our case) seems to always bleed underneath. We then peeled off the backing and carefully placed the contact paper over the hole. No matter how well you apply your tape. .5 inches larger than my 6 inch hole) on the backing of the contact paper and cut it out with scissors. WeI used a semi-gloss paint and roughed in all these areas and painted the legs too. With the white primer underneath it didn¶t take more than one or two coats to get a nice uniform coverage. if there is any bleeding it will be the same color as the underlying paint. we applied another layer of white semi-gloss paint on the edges of the tape and the contact paper. The hole also has a white border. Again.The sides of our cornhole board is white and the playing surface has a white border 1. To prevent this.5 inches wide. let this layer dry. Let this layer dry. Next we taped the borders of the table with painter¶s tape. If you look closely you can see that we covered the hole and the border around the hole with clear contact paper. Now. clean line you¶re looking for. Being clear. ruining the crisp. we were able to see the hole underneath and center it just right. Many folks fear that a high-gloss paint will be more durable but create a surface that is too slippery. So which to choose? If you don¶t plan on using a clear finish over your boards. If you do intend to finish your boards. We¶re often asked whether high-gloss or semi-gloss paint should be used. but any defects will be masked a little better. It will give them a durable and shiny appearance. my border is crisp and beautiful! . A new set of boards is going to be a little slick no matter how you do it. take a small roller (a brush if you prefer. This may require several coats.Next. but semi-gloss isn¶t far off. As you can see. go with the high gloss. If you used painter¶s tape it should come off just fine without disrupting the paint underneath. so get out there and start throwing some bags. you¶re going to end up with a slippery board. but a roller makes it a little easier to get a uniform layer) and paint the remainder of the board with some paint of another color and allow it to dry. use the semi-gloss. It will help your boards hold up to game play a little better which means you¶ll have to repaint your boards less often. The way we see it. but again semi-gloss paint isn¶t far off. high-gloss paint is very durable. Either way you do it. high-gloss paint is indeed very slick. Likewise. We like to do this just after the final coat of paint has dried. the slickness will decrease. Gently peel the tape off your cornhole boards. With time. Don¶t touch up areas here and there if you want the best results ± if you need to apply more paint in one area just give the whole surface another thin layer. Painting can really be a learned skill so don¶t be rushing things. but watch it carefully as you pull it away just in case. Many people prefer to add a coat of clear finish at this point. Below are the supplies we bought in order to sew our own cornhole bags: y y y y duck cloth ± 7¶¶ x 7¶¶squares (16 total. one for each color of bag) fabric glue (optional) feed-grade dried corn (8 lbs) Next. If you aren¶t concerned with creating precision. etc. accurate cuts) fabric cutters or scissors sewing machine pencil or pen digital baking scale (fantastic. The possibilities are endless«. there¶s very little here to purchase. In rough order of usage: y y y y y y fabric-cutting mat w/ grid (optional. collect all your tools.Because the contact paper has such a smooth surface it can separate from the paint as you pull it up. Check out our e-book if you¶d like to learn more and see a coat of clear finish applied. you can probably get by without the optional items. STEP 1: GATHER YOUR SEWING SUPPLIES Compared with the other steps. but optional) extra sewing pins . 8 per color) thread (2 spools. but very nice for straight. logos. By lightly lifting the contact paper and following it¶s edge with a sharp utility knife you can keep a clean border. By removing the contact paper at the right moment (just after the paint has dried) you can avoid this completely. Now you have a gorgeous cornhole board! Using the same techniques and a little ingenuity you can add lettering. unless you don¶t mind trying to guess which bag belongs to which team. consider making an extra set for a friend. chances are that you already know your way around the business end of the sewing machine. most importantly. Whatever your color scheme of choice. (If not. no worries ² with minimal effort. then have them cut off 7´ of fabric for you. Each team needs four bags made from two 7¶¶ x 7¶¶ squares (eight squares total). Remember: since. Don¶t worry. If so. If it is above the store¶s minimum. If not. conveniently. .) Repeat for the second set. the authentic filler of choice. you¶ll need to get two distinct colors. If your fabric store sells duck cloth on bolts that are 60¶¶ wide. pretty cheap as well. but getting the right amount takes a tiny bit of math. Themes like college or pro sports are typically popular choices here.Duck cloth is a canvas-type ³outdoor´ fabric that you can find at any nearly fabric store. Avoid the temptation to just use popcorn. then you are in luck since 8 x 7´ is only 56´ of fabric that you need. larger. this stuff is coarser. STEP 2: SEWING YOUR OWN CORNHOLE BAGS If you are one of the brave souls even willing to consider sewing your own high performance. it¶s cheap. To prevent mass confusion and a potential riot at your cornhole bags¶ debut. and. Finding it is easy. try to pick out sturdy looking duck cloth that is as blemish-free as possible. Feed corn is widely available at feed stores. built-to-spec cornhole bags. you will want to have two different colors of fabric in order to keep teams¶ progress straight. It is also. this ought to be a snap. you will get the hang of it too and produce some bags you can toss with pride in front of your posse at the next tail-gating party. a good ruler. uneven edges. looking at the picture it¶s pretty obvious that they gave me some jagged. Now all you need to do is make the squares for each bag by cutting every 7 inches. a gridded cutting mat and a plastic cutting guide really make all this trimming simple. but if you don¶t have any of these. your hunk of duck cloth will probably be a long strip 7´ wide by 56´ long. If that¶s the case for you too. . go ahead and give those ends a little trim in order to square things up. It turned out to be a good idea. a pencil. Using the right tools can make things much more accurate and often more convenient. Having been trimmed satisfactorily by either you or the fabric counter. I had the folks at Joann¶s fabric counter give me a couple extra inches so that I could square the cuts up at home for myself. and some sharp scissors will do the trick. The rolling blade.Since the fabric is pretty cheap. then you can actually set it to doublestitch all at once. as shown in the picture. Either way. then repeat again on the same side right next to the first seam in order to get the double-stitch. Before plowing ahead. this is probably a good time to repeat the previous steps for second team¶s color. there should be eight squares of duck cloth. If have a fancy sewing machine like my mother-in-law¶s. it¶s probably wise to put it on now according to manufacturer¶s directions. the punishing abuse that cornhole bags take requires more than a single stitch. be sure to back-stitch at all the corners to prevent the thread from unraveling. Got an itch to triple-stitch? Why not? Whatever your decision. you should have sixteen total squares of duck cloth: eight of one color. just sitting there on your workspace. Those with the no-frills model will need to sew a side completely. practically begging to be sewn up into four bags and stuffed with feed corn. Go ahead and put it on the inside since we will soon be turning the sewn bags inside-out. Place two squares of the same color together so that their edges line up exactly. it shouldn¶t matter which side is up unless you want to decorate the outside with an iron-on logo. 7 inches by 7 inches. In the end of this trimming phase.) Each seam should be 1/2 inch in from the edge. . since the fabric is identical on both sides. This is where the fun begins.By this point. however. (If you do have an iron-on or something like that. eight of another. of course. It probably can¶t hurt in any case. after bragging all afternoon to your buddies about your sewing skills. but it¶s an optional safety precaution that the riskacceptant can skip. This will reduce the amount of excess fabric that gets crammed into the corners once we turn the bag inside-out. . the bag is now the regulation 6 inches in width. You¶ll notice that once turned out. but be sure to LEAVE ONE SIDE OPEN. Finally. but you can improve the look of the corners by pushing on the from the inside with a pencil. There are no guarentees.Sew as indicated above for three of the four sides. You¶ll need a hole for getting the corn into the bag. Imagine your embarassment when. pen. but a little bit of fabric glue along the inside of those seams might help ease your mind on this subject. One smart move might also be to trim the corners a little. We want to do everything in our power to prevent this awkward event. Sharp corners are difficult to acheive given the stiffness of the fabric. one of your new cornhole bags bursts a seam. turn the bag inside-out. etc. the corn will break up. and. To be honest. soon-to-be-sewn seam. Placing . you can¶t beat a digital baking scale.. accurate to 1/8 oz. The material weighs about . We found that a well-placed sewing pin helped to hold the sides closed. 2 cups of corn comes pretty close to regulation. Fold the open ends of the filled bag inward to a depth of 1/2 inch to match the rest of the seams you¶ve already sewn. and your bags will actually lose a bit of weight in the form of dust.5 oz per bag. we applied some of the fabric glue to last. so you might want to make it on the heavy end of the acceptable range just to be safe. you deserve some customer service. If you cannot abide that type of guess-work ² good for you!±get the feed store to separate your order in eight individual bags of one pound each at the time of purchase.5 to 16 oz. Each bag should weigh between 14. the next steps are the trickiest in the whole process and make take some creativity depending on your sewing machine and how stiff the fabric is. for the 35 cents you paid for each of those pounds. As you play.5 oz feed corn to each bag to make it one pound in total. We found that pinning the corn bag as shown in the picture helped keep the fabric flat and out of the way of the sewing foot. so we added 15. in order to keep the folds from slipping once under the needle and for overall strength. After all. once filled. but if that¶s not an option.Measure out the corn you¶ll need. It took us several tries to come up with a good way to keep all that corn in the bag from getting in the way while sewing. For this step. your stitches as close to the edge as possible will give the bags a nice look. Do not forget to double-stitch here. and the results are bound to be satisfying. . too. What are you waiting for? Get outside and throw these things at your homemade tables! You¶ve worked hard.